Three Little Kittens- A cute and cuddly rhyme for kids

‘Three Little Kittens’ is a beautiful English rhyme which illustrates the story of three cute kittens. The kid’s song is mostly attributed to an American poet Eliza Lee Cabot Follen and is said to be published in 1833 in the book ‘New Nursery Songs for All Good Children’. So, you can consider it as one of the oldest toddler songs as it originated in the 19th century. Some sources link this rhyme to Americans while others state that it has roots related to the British folk tradition.

The poem was then reworked to suit the needs of the 20th century children and now it is played as a nursery rhyme in many preschools. The story provides a fun way to learn a story and the repetition of rhythms makes the children joyful.

Lyrics and story:

The poem ‘Three Little Kittens’ is about the careless kittens that lost their mittens and their mother is angry about it. The mother denies giving them the pie until they have found the mittens. The kittens are sad about it but they find the mittens and are allowed to eat the pie. The kittens then eat the pie but get their mittens soiled and the mother is angry again. The kittens then wash their mittens to make their mother happy.

Takeaways for kids:

Though the poem is not among the best nursery rhymes and doesn’t have a particular storyline, it is fun to sing and the rhythm is catchy too. The rhyming words such as ‘kittens’ and ‘mittens’ make the poem easy and fun to sing and the children giggle while singing it. The ‘mee-ow’ and ‘purr-r’ in this rhyme are cute and toddlers love to act and enjoy these. ‘Three Little Kittens’ is a lively and playful toddlers song and has an appealing tone.